“I have been wounded but not yet slain. I shall lie here and bleed awile. Then I shall rise and fight again. The title of champion may from time to time fall to others more than ourselves. But the heart, the spirit, and the soul of champions remains in Green Bay.”-Vince Lombardi

The champion was left bleeding on the floor after the fourth battle in the seventh month. Beaten ll hard and on his knees it seemed that the forces of Nature and Time had finally fallen upon him. Just like a Rocky Balboa in the sixth episode of the saga, just like Shaquille O'Neal on the nineteenth chapter of is career the Celtics were left for dead.

It seems it is too late, the enemy is too strong and the circumstances cannot be harder. The champion has very little strength left, his back on the wall and his bones hurting and broken on the floor. There is too much blood, too many wounds to lick.

Hours away from what it could be the end of a time, the enemy will visit the champion again tonight to try and inflict the fatal hit into his body. Nobody expects him to fight back, like a Prometheus tied to the rock by the millions of fans worldwide, his entrails will be exposed for the killing eagle to bite.

The vultures are flying over him, the crowds are waiting anxiously to see him finally die.

They think the Celtics are dead.

“A champion is someone who gets up when he can't.” Jack Dempsey

They have forgotten what the Boston Celtics are or what a true champion is. When a true champion is hurt he gets up and fight again. He doesn't cry like Wade when his shoulder is dislocated but he fights through it like Rondo is doing right now.

The true champion is always one, he never dies and he forever gets up and fights.

Tonight, the win is something that should come as an aftermath. What every single player in the team should focus on is in the fight, in the heart of the champion. The will play to prove they are the best, to show the love for playoffs basketball, for their careers, for the game, for the fans...for the shamrock and for the glory of Red Auerbach.

Kevin Garnett will give his blood and the whole rest of life he has to be the best player in the league once more. He will catch that murder eagle, bite its neck and throw the feathers in the air...screaming for more

Shaquille O'Neal will find his strength from the more than empty tank, resulting from the alchemy he achieved with the Basketball Gods during his two decades in the league, claiming his place in Glory.

Paul Pierce will dance with Death (James), beat it and stop it from attacking the wounded warrior again, leading the offense to another great fight.

Ray Allen will shoot his assassin arrows from every single corner of the court, making Death bleed his blackness and vileness all over the Miami beach.

And finally Rajon Rondo will lead them all with his own physical pain towards the highest goals and the most inspiring sport and life lessons.

My friends, we are not the Lakers. We do not give up.

We are the Boston Celtics and we will die fighting.

This game is for the sake of basketball, for the legend. Let's fight for Ubuntu, for the Big Three, for the Big Shamrock and for the ghosts set free in the Old Boston Garden.

Let's fight hard tonight and give it all.

Death will suffer, bleed and die when he bites us.

Poisoned with the blood of the champion that will never dry from our veins. Let Death die when it approaches us.

We will always be the champion no matter what. Let's prove it with the best game of the season.

15 Responses so far.

I share your optimism.I'm proud to bleed Green. I bet Kevin,Ray,Paul, Rajon and everyone in the Celtics are. Our time may be almost up, but I'm sure we won't go out with a whimper.

The Captain has always performed,one way or the other. If he can't score,he will facilitate.

The Big Ticket may no longer have the ability to go Minnesota mode every night, but he will be sure to command the defense until the final buzzer

Jesus may no longer walk on water, but there's not one single series where he has lit up at least once (Does anyone count Game 1 as him on fire? I don't think so though....). He's due for one. Wade better start chasing him around screens...

Rondo may have only one good arm, but his second one wasn't intact for nothing....

The O'Neal brothers may be old,big,fat,whatever you call them, but they're still gonna wheeze through and will themselves through the game.

Bench: Some are worthy of being part of the future Celtics, some may be not, but never question their intentions with the season on the line.

Regardless of what Danny has done, remember he was the very person who made the C's relevant again, and he no doubt will continue to plan on doing so.

And lastly, Doc: Face it, he had to have at least one crucial end-game screw up somwehere in his tenure (too bad it was at a bad time...),but nobody's perfect.And he,like everyone else in the Celtic organisation, is a piece that keeps the whole team together.

We(well,I do...) want comments of "being too old" thrown at our faces,our legs being "too slow" or "it's time to get real:you can't win", because we'd love nothing more than to take on adversity itself.

No matter what happens,the Boston Celtics will leave AAA or perhaps the series (regardless of how long it goes and who wins) with naysayers scratching their heads,no matter how brief before reverting to the "you suck" mentality.

1-3 and taking the last stand.......AAA better reserve at least half of the arena seats for the Celtic fans...BECAUSE OUR TEAM WILL NOT GO ALONE....

There is no other team in the NBA with the competency, Passion, chemistry, and heart of the Celtics. The haters say we are done, but the real fans, the ones who bleed green, the ones who were with the Celtics in the dark days know we have only just begun!

NBA should have someone reviewing the games live; so whn someone travels or call a bad call they can have someone that can overule bad calls automatically. I know we lost last game d/t our fault; we had plenty of opportunities. That travel from LJ was the worst non call travel i have ever seen. We as NBA fans should push for that. They have the technology for it, why not call the game right. Be gone Stern!

They have written us out. They already predict a Bulls vs Heat East finals match up. But let me tell you this, we are still here, the fight its hard the task is long, but we still here. This is what 3yrs of bonding have come down to, this may be our last chance but we are in this together, one for all and all for one. One arm + one Captain + 1 Ticket + Slayer + The Big Shamrock = An army of Celtics Gladiators waiting to turn of the Heat, and bring Peace into this Earth. Haters will hate, but all the TRUE CELTICS that still believe and that know we are still in this. This is a beautiful situation to be in, this the chance we have to fond together into one, and bring down 3 Titans with 3 Rocks..... We maybe be David but Goliath will fall with 3 rocks...!!! Lets get this done !!! I believe !!!

A very inspirational read. I bleed Green and always will. The Celtics represent Heart, Courage, Strength, and Humbleness and they too always will. If they believe then we must believe. CELTICS FTW! Win this game so I can cheer you on in game 6 at TD Garden!

Miami got this in the bag, god the C's had a great season but that's it, you can have hope but don't start finding excuses saying that a true champion gets up and fights, if it wast he other way around and the C's were 3-1 everyone here would be saying "The Heat are garbage hahahaha C's is a better team blah blah blah" So since it's the other way around now i'll say if the Heat win they were the better team and the C's just couldn't handle the Heat, they had a great season and all but after tonight if they win it's over, no ones going to notice that the C's are champions cause they fought till the end for it, no one's going to realize that they gave it their all, it's just a game, this isn't a war. I'm a Heat fan but good luck to both teams tonight, it should be an intense and great game.